Kain Highwind
Kain Highwind, also known as the Hooded Man (謎の男, Nazo no Otoko?) before his identity is revealed in The After Years, is a playable character in Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. He is a Dragoon from the kingdom of Baron, Cecil Harvey's childhood friend and adoptive older brother. He also has feelings for Rosa Joanna Farrell, but he hides them so they do not hinder his relationship with either of the two: Rosa in turn has feelings for Cecil. Appearance and Personality Kain wears full body armor colored dark purple or blue in most of his appearances. He wears a helmet the shape of a dragon's head that obscures most of his face and sharp spikes extend out of his armor on his shoulders, elbows and calves, to give it an even more draconian look. He has long blond hair, tied back in a ponytail in most appearances. His original Amano artwork and Dissidia 012 appearance seem to depict him with purple hair, but in Dissidia 012, it was revealed to be an attachment to his helmet, covering up his real hair. In his appearance as "the Hooded Man" in-game in The After Years (which is his first in-game appearance without armor), Kain wears blue garments with a hooded purple cloak. His concept artwork and FMVs instead depict him with blue clothes and white boots with a white hood. His Dissidia 012 outfit as the Hooded Man is based on his concept art rather than his in-game sprites. After becoming a Holy Dragoon, Kain wears light blue and white armor, a winged hairpiece that reveals the whole of his face, and a blue cloak. Kain is a calm, sometimes sarcastic young man, driven by his dream of following his father's footsteps of becoming a Dragoon and shunning the King's wish for Kain to follow Cecil's profession of a Dark Knight. He has been friends with Cecil and Rosa since they were young, but their relationship is strained by their rivalry as soldiers and their love for the same woman, although Kain hides his feelings. Kain's personality changes when he is possessed by Golbez, becoming cold towards Cecil, though his love for Rosa still shows. Once freed from Golbez's control, Kain is forgiven by Cecil and vows to atone for his past actions, a promise that carries over into The After Years, as he tries to vanquish his dark side and helps Ceodore. Emythology Cain was the brother of Abel in the Tanakh/Old Testament book of Genesis. Cain became the first murderer by killing his brother out of jealousy stemming from the fact that God chose Abel's gift over that of Cain. This reflects the love triangle between Kain, Cecil and Rosa, Kain being jealous of Cecil being the target of Rosa's affections and not him. Kain's ultimate weapon in the Advance port, Abel's Lance, takes its name from the same source. In some versions, including the original Japanese releases and the Spanish release of the Advance port, Kain's named is spelled with a "C", the same as the Biblical spelling. In the English localization of the Nintendo DS version as well as in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, Kain is pronouncedkeɪn, just as Biblical English "Cain". However, in the Japanese version his name is spelled カイン (Kain) in kana, which is closer to the name's pronunciation in Continental Europe and to the Hebrew form קַיִן Qáyin. However, the Japanese manual lists his name written in Roman alphabet as "Cain" which would suggest the English pronunciation. As well as the aforementioned etymology, the name Kain is similar to the Hebrew word kidon (כידון), meaning 'javelin', which is also significant to his character. The Highwind surname is a traditional name for Dragoons in the series, beginning with Ricard Highwind in Final Fantasy II. Kain is called Kain Ventalto in the Spanish DS version, and Caín Céfiro in the Spanish GBA version.